


My Home Here

by SkylaDoragono



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Disturbing Themes, F/M, M/M, Mind Games, Murder, One-Sided Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-09-18
Packaged: 2017-12-27 00:25:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylaDoragono/pseuds/SkylaDoragono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything ended… or did it?  The beat of life continues to pulse through the world, bringing with it a new story and new Shadows…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE

He scratched open the scabs on his hands so he could watch them bleed.

It was weird, seeing himself bleed so freely like this, and knowing the reason why all at once.  Yet still, he just sat there on the banks of the Samegawa River, staring as the blood set free by his scratching dripped down along the lines of his skin, trailing along his fingers, before falling onto the blades of blackened grass at his feet.  Even that little movement caused the fog around him to stir, fluffing up in little puffs of white.

…the fog.

It was far, far thicker than the last time he had been in Inaba, to the point where he needed his glasses if he wanted to get anywhere in town.  It was even to the point where it was difficult to see indoors, not that he stuck around long in his uncle's house after his arrival.  Once he saw how thick the fog was now, he couldn't stay around anymore.

He knew what he had to do.

The sound of footsteps shuffling closer alerted him to the fact that he was not alone, not that it really made him move much from his position.  It was not until he heard that familiar laugh, that not quite sane sound, did he finally look up, and by that time his visitor was already ambling toward him.  He was already changing, not that he was surprised; he could see his eyes starting to lighten to that familiar yellow, blazing bright enough to burn through the fog…

His guest flopped down next to him, raising an eyebrow at his bloodied hand.  He did not even blink as he grabbed for it, letting out a faint _tsk_ as he pulled a handkerchief to wrap it up.

"Hnn… and how did that happen?" he asked, his voice taunting.  He obviously already knew the answer, so he did not bother responding.  That did not stop his guest from continuing to talk, that same not quite sane laugh coming from him again.  "You… really aren't cut out for this sort of thing, kid."

He finally let out a noise then, jerking his hand away from him.  His guest raised an amused eyebrow, but did not try to grab for him again.  Instead he leaned back on his hands, yellow eyes scrutinizing him closely as the fog seemed to press around them closer.  The first scream ripped through the city in the silence that hung between them, though he barely flinched, expecting it to have started sooner than this.

"So, why'd you do it?" he asked finally.  "They were your friends too, weren't they?"

He did not say anything, and his guest let out a scoff as the first scream was suddenly stopped, only for another to start.

"…was it out of mercy?"

Again, he did not speak, but the answer was too obvious for him to bother.  His guest let out a faint sigh, shaking his head and muttering something that sounded like an accusation of him being boring under his breath.  The scream was abruptly cut off again, and he just… sat there and stared at his hand, watching the blood coming to a stop again.  He reached over to the wounds on his hand, scratching them open again to watch them bleed.  The other raised an eyebrow at his behavior, not sure what to make of his strange action; like he wanted to make himself suffer and bleed and…

"This…"

He finally spoke then, his voice soft as screams erupted all over town.

"This… is all your fault."

Now it was time for his guest to not say anything, mostly because there was nothing that needed to be said.

"…and I encouraged you."

One by one, the screams fell silent, until there was nothing but the silence once again.

"I'm… so sorry."

His guest turned to him then, and for that moment, it almost seemed like he was back to normal; like he was still the person he met all the way back in April, cowering next to a building as he threw up.  It was the same person he had shared meals with, had spoken to about the murder case… and maybe in a small way, he had looked up to him, maybe even admired him a little for his ability to keep positive no matter how bad things seemed.

A moment passed, before his guest reached over, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  He hesitated, before allowing himself to be drawn over to him, resting his head on his chest as the fog swallowed them both…


	2. CHAPTER ONE

It was the first warm and sunny day in Inaba since the start of winter, and as far as Tohru Adachi was concerned, it was a brilliant herald of spring, even if it was not official yet.  He wanted to stretch his arms up over his head, like he was going to absorb all the sunlight, but that would involve putting down the massively huge stack of papers he was carrying, and he was pretty sure he was not going to be able to pick them up again without help.

As if in answer to that thought, he found himself suddenly hit from behind.  Adachi let out a yelp, spinning around with a few of the papers from the top of his stack flying off, only to be hit again from the side.  He caught sight of someone flying past him on a skateboard before he was hit a final time, papers flying absolutely everywhere as his face planted against the pavement.

Adachi groaned as he lifted his head, and he could hear a couple girls giggling as they walked past, of course not even offering to help the hapless former detective.  A sigh escaped from him as he pulled himself to his knees, looking woefully at all the work he would have to go through to get all those papers picked up, and…

"Are you all right?"

…and suddenly there was a small stack of papers next to his head, held out to him by one grey-haired bowlcut.

Adachi let out a breath of relief, reaching out to accept them.  "Thanks, Yu-kun…"

Yu Narukami offered him one of those rare smiles of his, bending down to help him with the rest.  The kid was one of those rare breeds, the kind that was not afraid to help out everyone else.  Heck, he could remember the first time the kid visited Inaba, and had always invited him over for dinner.  He could cook, he could clean… the kid was essentially perfection wrapped up in a basketball star worthy body.  It was because of him that he decided to switch professions, becoming a professor at the local college instead… and now actually one of the kid's teachers.  Funny how that worked out.

The two of them stood up once all the paperwork was gathered, with Yu holding onto the majority of the stack, despite his protests.  Not… that Adachi tried very hard to persuade him otherwise; he knew Yu was just that kind of kid.

"I seriously owe you, Yu-kun.  Thanks."

"Don't mention it, Adachi-sensei."

Adachi bit back a groan; he was also _that_ kind of kid too.

"Eeeehhh… how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'sensei'?" he whined.  "You make me feel like I'm ancient or somethin'."

"Sorry."

Adachi rolled his eyes, knowing for a fact that the kid actually was _not_ sorry.  They continued walking along in a comfortable silence, but he glanced over to the younger man after a moment, noticing he had a bit more of a slouch than usual, and maybe his grey eyes had an extra layer of grey to them.  Oh boy…

"Nightmares again?" he asked softly.

Yu let out a faint noise, glancing over to his professor, before he let out a sigh.  "…yeah," he admitted softly.  "They've been bothering me since I came back to Inaba."

Adachi let out a worried noise, watching Yu as he raised his hand toward his head, running his fingers through his short hair.  It was his left hand, the one with a massive scar on it that ran across his knuckles and at an angle from wrist to index finger, literally taking up his whole hand.  He had asked him about it when the boy was still in high school, and Yu had said he could not remember how he got it, just that it had been painful.  He was not sure he entirely believed that, but at the same time, he could not bring himself to fault him for not wanting to tell him the truth.

It was not until they reached the gates of the university that Yu handed him back the rest of his paperwork, and he even had to fight him for that, reminding him that he would be late for his first class if he followed him all the way to faculty office.  He relented, but Adachi caught his wrist before he could leave, a concerned look on his face.

"Look, kid… if you need anything…" he began.  "I mean, you know my door's always open."

Yu paused a moment, before he treated Adachi to another soft smile.  Two in one day; poor kid must really be not feeling well.

"Thank you, sensei."

…or not.  Adachi let out a groan as Yu disappeared into the crowd heading into the building.

~.oOOo.~ 

"…so it was because of the discovery of Carbon Monoxide in the victim's blood that Travia ended up charged with illegal disposal of a body instead of first degree murder, meaning he served jail time instead of the electric chair…"

He did not need to turn around to know that he had lost the majority of his class, especially since mention of American death row punishment barely caused a murmur.  No doubt a few of them were long passed out, drooping over their desks or just outright drooling all over them.  Teaching… really was a fairly thankless job, especially History of Forensics, but at the same time, he could honestly say he liked it.  After all the endless hours of studying he had done as a kid, the never ending stream of homework, and night after night after night of going to bed at the crack of dawn only to wake up a few hours later, he may as well put that dedication to some use.  Besides, since he technically retired from the police department, he could still stay registered as a private detective and keep his gun… a win-win situation either way.

And speaking of dedication, he knew he had at least one student still furiously scribbling notes as he jotted them out on the chalkboard.

"The scientists on the case got no credit at the time for their involvement in the case, but the Travia case is still marked in history as a shining example of the importance of forensic toxicology in—"

He did not get to finish; the bell indicated the end of their two hour time block rang loudly, snapping more than a few people out of their sleepy stupor, leaving the rest to be shaken awake by their friends.  Some students were already bolting out the door, and Adachi struggled to shout over the loud shuffle of feet.

"Read chapters twenty-five through thirty of your text books!  And answer all questions at the end of each chapter!" he shouted as the massive herd made its way out the door.  "And that's _inclusive this time!"_

It was only a matter of seconds before there was only one student left, and Adachi let out an annoyed sigh, collapsing into his chair before he let his head fall forward.  It banged loudly against the desk, and yes, it hurt like hell, but he could not bring himself to give a crap.  He did not move, even as he heard the faint shuffling up in the stands come closer until it was right by him, moving the desk slightly as it sat on it.  A hand came down then, gentle threading through his hair and getting him to let out a faint noise; oh geeze…

"You are such a woman sometimes," he muttered into the desk.

Yu let out a faint snort at that, leaning back as Adachi finally lifted his head, looking as mentally drained as he felt.

"It was interesting," he offered, as if that would help him feel better.

"It doesn't count coming from you," Adachi grumbled, finally pulling himself up the rest of the way and gathering up his paperwork.  "Although I guess it's a good thing not all my students are like you; if I had that much homework to grade I'd never be able to finish."

"Maybe you shouldn't slack off at Junes so much then."

_"Oy!"_

Yu actually chuckled at that as Adachi gave him a sour look.  He totally did not slack off at Junes, okay; he just liked to wait around until their cabbages went on sale, that's all.  Some nights, it was the only way he could afford to eat.  After a moment he shook his head, going back to gathering up huge stack number five hundred and seventy-three as the kid stood up straight, slinging his briefcase over his shoulder.

"Why don't you come home with me tonight?" he asked.  "Uncle will be there; he'll be happy to see you again."

"Pretty sure he has a folder rolled up and waiting for my head," Adachi quipped, not missing a beat.  Yu looked amused at that, and as tempting as that offer was…  "Sorry, kid.  Maybe next time; I'm drowning in work with your midterms coming up."

Yu looked a little sad at that, but he still reached down to give his shoulder a squeeze.  "Don't be afraid to stop in, okay?" he asked softly.  "You know you're always welcome."

Adachi gave him a soft smile at that, reaching over to pat his hand.  "Yeah, I know.  G'night, kid."

"Good night, sensei."

_"Will you stop that?!"_

The hours ticked by slowly after Yu left the lecture room, and Adachi's red pen had been going non-stop, scribbling almost every single homework assignment in his determination to get all his work done and at least be caught up for one night in his life however fleeting it would be.  There were a few he hardly ever had to touch – Yu's being one of them, of course – but most of the others looked like a kid's drawing by the time he was done.  Seriously, some of his students really needed to stop taking sleeping pills before coming into class…

By the time midnight rolled around, the massive stack had been tamed somewhat, though not to his liking.  At least the stack he would be walking home with tonight was nothing compared to what he had this morning.  With a supreme amount of effort, he peeled himself off of his chair, carrying off both massive wads of paper to his desk in the faculty office and keeping the ungraded pile, before finally making his way out the building, giving an absentminded wave to the night janitor on the way out.

The temperature had dropped with the setting of the sun, a faint fog settling over the town streets, and Adachi swore under his breath as he pulled his oversized sweater tighter around him, wishing he had brought a coat.  He trudged off as fast as his legs would carry him, moments like these making him curse the fact that his car had broken down ages ago and he did not have the money to fix it.  Being a bachelor really sucked sometimes…

He was just passing the old Moel station, the annoyingly bright red and yellow having faded over the years, when he heard the faint sound of something scratching behind him.  Adachi stopped dead, a chill settling over him as the scratching continued, sounding… _wrong_ somehow.  He could not put his finger on it as to why, but something about it made it sound like bony fingers dragging along a tombstone.  _That_ pleasant thought made him gag slightly, and he shuffled his stack of papers around so he could safely reach into his sweater to where he still kept his piece on him, slowly turning around and…

…nearly jumping clear out of his skin as a cat suddenly jumped out of a garbage can, an old fish bone dangling from its mouth, before scampering off.

Adachi let out a loud groan of frustration; no doubt that was one of the cats that Yu liked to feed all the time because he felt sorry for them.  The kid was slacking if the dumb animal was pulling out fish bones from waste baskets if that was the case!  He was probably going to have to tease him for it later… leaving out the whole part where he nearly had to clean out his underwear and all that.

With a sigh, Adachi turned around then, starting back down the street… and missing it as a tear suddenly appeared in the building the garbage can stood next to, like the brick was nothing more than fabric.  A moment passed, before a gnarled, black hand with sharply pointed fingers pulled itself out, latching onto the side of the building…

~.oOOo.~ 

_Blood was flowing from his left hand._

_His scar was no longer a scar, but a fresh wound, leaving that hand almost useless as his blood dripped down along his fingers and to the stained yellow and black floor.  The person that inflicted it – friend/foe, stranger/partner – stood across from him, anger and pain and betrayal in his eyes as he held the twin knives that had inflicted the wound before him, trails of red still along the blades._

_"You… you did this?" he spoke, his voice choked with a sob that wanted to escape, but he was trying so desperately to keep it down.  "You_ let _this happen?!  How could you… how could you not tell us?!  How could you protect the guy that did all this?!  WHY?!"_

_He did not say anything, but then again, he did not need to anyway.  The person across from him spun his knives in his hands, leaning back before plowing forward, tears falling from his eyes as he moved in for an attack.  Unfortunately, he left himself open… and he took the chance, plunging his sword right through him.  A startled gasp escaped the other boy as he fell against his shoulder, and he could not help but stare at his blade sticking out of his back as he lifted his bloodied hand, pressing his fingers against the back of this precious boy's head…_

_"I-I… I'll never… f-forgive… you…"_

It was not until the boy's body hit the black and yellow floor with a resounding _thud_ that Yu's eyes snapped open, covered in a hot sweat the contrasted with the cool morning air.  He shuddered, shuffling himself into a tight ball under the thick blanket of his futon as he buried his face against his pillow, wishing he could erase the image of the stranger's face from his mind.  That hurt… that pain… he could never make someone hate him so much that they would want to kill him, could he…?

It was a moment before he could remove himself from his bed and start his morning ritual, making himself clean and properly dressed for classes the rest of the day before he headed downstairs.  His uncle, Ryoutaro Dojima, was home for once that morning, his nose buried in the morning paper and a steaming cup of coffee on the table before him.  He looked up when he came down the stairs, giving a faint nod.

"Mornin', Yu," he greeted.

"Good morning, uncle," he returned, before immediately setting out to make breakfast for them both.  It was not until the eggs were well on to being completed that the older man spoke again.

"You have class with that bum today again, right?"

Yu hid a private smile at that.  "Yes."

Dojima gave a nod.  "Then you tell him he's coming over for dinner tonight, even if you have to drag him.  Understand?"

He could not help but laugh at that, agreeing with his uncle before setting out breakfast for the both of them.  His uncle ate quickly, muttering about how his new rookie was even worse than "the last cabbage loving idiot," before grabbing his coat to head off to work.  He paused only once, offering a small prayer to the picture left on the stand by the door and then heading out, leaving Yu to contemplate the brief action on his own.

The picture was of Dojima and his wife, a woman named Chisato that he had… probably met before, but had been too young to remember her.  Unfortunately, she had died in a hit and run accident on the way home from the grocery one day, leaving his uncle alone in the world.  He had been throwing himself into finding the person that had struck her ever since then, to the point where when Yu had first arrived in Inaba, Dojima was almost never home.  It was not until he found the picture and discovered the story behind her death that he had been able to try and help his uncle finally heal after all this time.  That moment, when Dojima could finally admit how much he missed his wife, was probably the first time Yu had ever felt like he belonged to a family…

_…but why does it feel like something's missing…?_

Yu shuddered at the thought, clutching at his head.  Did he… really just think that, or… no, it felt more like someone else had planted that thought in his head.  He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head; no, no that was not it, of course.  It was these damn nightmares… they had him thinking crazy things, like monsters and demons and ridiculously long-nosed old men existed in the world.  He needed a good night of sleep, one where he would not end with him waking up in a cold sweat.

With a sigh, he finished off his breakfast, dumping the plate in the sink and grabbing up his briefcase for another long day of lectures.


End file.
